Overcast
by Tsuna 4 Cn4s
Summary: A collection of one-shots, featuring the future children each retelling a private portion of their lives in the future; Threatening to suffocate the potential happiness of a corrected past, their dark memories of a ruined future cling to them, placing a thick overcast on their burdened hearts. But perhaps the gentle urging of a young friend will disperse the clouds.


**Author's Note: There are a few things I would like to explain about this fanfiction for you guys. First of all, the avatar never makes an appearance and a gender is never discussed. Morgan, who is actually telling this story, appears to be male in this chapter, but I will be switching between a male and female Morgan every other chapter. This could be considered a collection of one-shots, but they may be slightly connected at times. I will ****_try_**** to keep the hhusbands' identities to the reader's imagination, but it is not always possible in my planned situations. Sorry... Please enjoy!**

**A Note on Newts: They need to surface sometimes, so they can't simply live in the ocean. Keep this in mind, please.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Fire Emblem: Awakening._**

**• {Chapter one: A Precious Sister} •**

It was a normal, boring day at home in Ylisstol Castle. The sun was high and hot in the summer sky, beating relentless rays of heat down upon the poor, parched grass. Everyone was either sleeping or hiding out inside the slightly cooler castle's halls, trying to escape the suffocating warmth.

I was sitting in the nursery, vainly trying to draw a decent picture of my five year old self playing with blocks. I swore silently as another pen broke in my frustrated grip.

"That's the third pen in the last hour." Kjelle reprimanded me in her usual superior tone. "Read a book if you can't draw!"

"I read all of the books." I mumbled uncooperatively. Ripping up my old piece of paper, I threw the scraps into the air. "Look, it's snowing."

"Alright!" My younger self cried enthusiastically. He immediately set to work having his toy men build snow castles and igloos.

I watched him play for several minutes, smiling in spite of my bad mood. "You always could look on the bright side of things..." The young woman interrupted with a smirk. "All of us would have yelled at you for making a mess. Only you would think to actually play with some ripped up garbage."

"Thank you." I replied casually, taking this as a compliment. Kjelle continued to stare at me, making me squirm uncomfortably. "Sorry for being a little snippy. I'm just bored, you know?"

"Yes, I am as well. It's too warm to train and I'm not much good at anything else." She sighed heavily as she closed the book she had been perusing. "Not even a fantasy like this can entertain me."

I stared out the window, my mind searching for something, anything, that we could do to take our minds off the heat. "Hey, Kjelle? What happened when Sully gave birth to you and Kyon?"

The brown haired knight looked up in surprise. "What brought that question on?"

"I don't know. I guess I was just wondering what I might've been able to think to do if I had my memory of the future, which led to me thinking about the Shepherds and since you're in the room I was thinking particularly about you and then I-"

"Hello? Rhetorical question?"

"Right, sorry. I just mean, I wasn't around that day when Sully finally had you two - or those two? I was just wondering... I mean, you can just ignore me if it bothers you to talk about it." I finished quickly, feeling slightly guilty at the longing look in Kjelle's dark eyes.

"No, it's okay..." She answered after a few moments. "It's probably good for me to talk about it. Keeps me from getting bitter." She took a deep breath before plunging in.

••~••~••~••~••

It was almost three years after the deaths of the Fell-Dragon and our beloved tactician. The Shepherds had already settled down in their homes, some returning to Ylisstol, others leaving with their families to start a new life in a different country.

Kjelle had moved with her mother, Sully, to Regna Ferox, where her father held the position as right-hand man of the West Khan. They visited the Shepherds who had remained in Ylisstol often, as it was only a few days' swift march to the capital.

But when the day came that it was discovered that Sully was pregnant, the women of Ylisse were thrown into quite a fit.

"You can't go back to Regna Ferox in your condition!" Lissa exclaimed to the rather irritated red head.

"And why the hell not?"

"Ahem." Kjelle quickly interrupted, gesturing towards the young Lucina who stood nearby.

Sully groaned loudly. Ever since the princess had repeated something the knight had said about Chrom (something that wasn't exactly completely complimentary nor polite about the young king) the fiery Shepherd had been restricted from all vulgar language in front of the children.

"And why, may I ask?" Sully, more sarcastic than not, adjusted her question.

"For a million reasons, darling!" Maribelle replied, seemingly shocked that Sully didn't already see the blond women's thought process. "For one thing, in a few months you will be completely helpless, you're sure to be so large."

"Hey!" Kjelle huffed, miffed at what the duchess was unintentionally implying.

"Just a fact, dear. Nothing personal."

"Plus, the more advanced you get, the harder it will be for you to make the journey here to Ylisse!" Lissa continued for her friend.

"Well you can come visit me!"

"But what happens if you go into labor and we're not there? It would take way too long for us to get to Regna Ferox!" Lissa started to pout suddenly. "Please, Sully? You got to be there for Brandy's birth!"

"And I would like to do the same for Kjelle." Maribelle admitted.

Both noble women stared at the knight with pitiful, pleading looks. Sully sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh... alright. But only if I can be released from this- this cursing restraint! It's like a noose around my tongue!"

"I'll talk to Chrom right away!" The princess promised, a wide smile growing on her and Maribelle's joyful faces.

Lissa did talk to Chrom and he gladly agreed with her proposal (on the condition that Sully kept her mouth at least loosely leashed). Kjelle was also granted the permission to stay with her mother, an offer she at first declined. For the first six months of Sully's pregnancy, her future daughter stayed with her father in Regna Ferox, visiting every two weeks or so.

But as Sully grew larger, and larger, and larger, the brown haired knight reconsidered and gratefully accepted the royals' invitation. She tried her best to be of some service to her mother and the other Shepherds, but the horrors called hormones had Sully in an even more violent mood than her usual demeanor. Ashamedly, Kjelle found herself mostly hiding out in the training barracks.

Though no one would dare voice their observations, for fear of offending Sully (or dying a painful death by her lance), they noticed that the red haired woman was unexplainedly large for one child.

"Is it normal for women to get that fat?" Lissa asked, obvious concern on her face. "Because, I'm not looking forward to Owain's birth, if that's the case."

"M-Mother!" Her son exclaimed with some horror. "Don't think you can just change your mind about having children!"

"Lissa, that's rude!" Chrom reprimanded sternly. "Don't let Sully catch you saying that."

"She'd most likely eat you alive." Lucina remarked softly, a cheerful twinkle in her blue eyes.

Despite Sully's tongue and temper, everyone in the castle couldn't help but admit that they were incredibly excited at the approaching birth of another future child. Shepherds from all around the continent sent letters with congratulations and constant questions on the soon-to-be mother's condition. Some even made the special trip to drop by personally.

Finally, the day for the long awaited delivery arrived. It was on a seemingly peaceful and cool Autumn morning, near the end of September. The sun shone cheerfully on the beautiful earth, as-

**"AHH! SOMEONE... PLEASE... ****_KILL ME!"_**

The sun had been up for several hours, but the entire castle had stirred long before. No one - man, woman nor child - could have found sleep amidst the howls of cursing and pain that filled the air that Autumn morn.

"You know, Lon'qu's aversion to women isn't going to improve by this experience." Ricken felt the need to point out.

Many of the old Shepherds were blessedly present for the birth. The three royal siblings, Chrom, Lissa and Emmeryn, were there with Lissa and Chrom's spouses. Ricken, who along with Laurent, had become Miriel's apprentices, were there together with the other friends who lived in the barracks at that time. Tharja and Henry (who claimed to have used dark magic to know when exactly Sully's water would break) had swooped in (they rode ravens) from Plegia, with their daughters, present and future Noire. Lucina and Cynthia were also present, their faces an understandable combination of excitement and worry.

Kjelle paced nervously outside of the barracks, where Sully had chosen to give birth. The young knight flinched every time her mother screeched another curse at her husband or midwife. "I feel... strangely guiltily." She admitted.

"Well, children aren't really supposed to be present at their birth." Sumia reminded her teasingly. "Though it's not your fault."

"Well, technically it is, but since there's no way to avoid it, I'm sure your mom will forgive you!" Henry interrupted cheerily.

"Do you think it's almost over?" Kjelle continued, deciding to ignore Henry. "I can't take much more of the screaming."

"Perhaps...?" Maribelle lied badly. "Truthfully, there's no telling how long it could take, dear. Anywhere from under an hour to almost a full day, I should think."

"A _day?_" Noire, Lucina, Cynthia and Lissa paled visibly. Maribelle and Sumia laughed loudly. Even Tharja managed a smirk. Kjelle relaxed slightly, though only for a moment.

"Today is the twenty-ninth, correct?" She inquired, abruptly.

"Yes, why?" Chrom asked, obviously confused.

"Today's my birthday." Everyone gasped slightly, ashamed that they had so easily forgotten, but Kjelle made them all calm down. "No no, I didn't mention it to make you all feel guiltily. I quite honestly forgot, as well, until a minute ago. I only mention it because now I know for certain that I will be born today."

"It is still in the early hours, though." Laurent observed, looking up at the sky. "The birth may still consume many more before the labor is complete."

"No, Mom told me once that I was born long before sundown. So it hopefully shouldn't take much longer."

"Good!" Lissa sighed in relief. "All this pregnancy stuff is making me nauseous."

Everyone laughed again, flashing appreciative smiles in the completely honest princess' direction. "What? I wasn't kidding, you know! This is seriously gross!"

After another two hours of pacing and squirming, with only a few breaks for a joke or two by Stahl or Vaike, the midwife stuck her head out the door. "I can't take anymore! She no good! I leave, no coins worth swearing red head!"

"What?" Chrom and several of the other Shepherds jumped up in surprise, not completely understanding the woman through her thick accent.

"I quit!" She yelled clearly, before marching off towards the castle gate.

"What do you think brought that on?" Stahl wondered out loud.

**"GET BACK HERE YOU OLD HAG! I DIDN'T... DISMISS YOU... YET!"**

"Answer your question?" Lissa asked sarcastically.

"Now what shall we do?" Maribelle wondered, looking from one puzzled face to the other. "We can't just leave her alone in there!"

"Don't look at me!" Chrom exclaimed, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. "Ask the women!"

"I was barely conscious for Lucina's birth..." Sumia squirmed uncomfortably.

"What about you, Tharja?" Frederick questioned the dark mage.

Henry laughed before his wife could even answer. "Tharja? She had a midwife; several, in fact! She turned three into newts before Noire was born!" He continued, completely oblivious to the looks of horror he was receiving from the other Shepherds. "I only managed to return one to a human. The other two I released into the ocean."

"Henry... Newts don't belong in the ocean..." Chrom said slowly.

"Oh, I guess not. All well!"

Emmeryn watched as her friends continued to argue over what should be done. Each adult had some excuse about why they couldn't help; most of them practical excuses, but excuses all the same. She knew someone had to assist Sully and that person had to go in **now.**

The woman stood up suddenly, unintentionally calling everyone's attention to herself. "Emm, what's wrong?" Chrom asked in concern.

"I shall... help Sully." She said simply.

"Wh-what? My lady, you are not serious!" Maribelle exclaimed. Emmeryn said nothing, but began to roll up her robe's sleeves. "You are serious!"

"Lissa... Maribelle... Please, you are... healers. You must help." She turned to the young women, determination creeping in to her soft, broken speech.

"Of... of course, your ladyship." The blond duchess agreed with a sigh. "I suppose it was foolish to hire a midwife in the first place, especially as we have three perfectly capable sages right here."

"Two. I'm not going in there!" Lissa spun on her heel and tried to escape, but her brother caught her firmly by the shoulder. "Hey let go! This is kidnapping! Let me go! Frederick! Someone! Help!"

"Now now, no fighting, Darling!"

"Ow! No biting, Lissa!"

"We must... hurry..."

"Help! _Heeelp!"_

The Shepherds exchanged exasperated and slightly worried glances, but didn't interfere. Once Lissa was finally pushed into the barracks and the doors closed firmly behind the last minute replacements, everyone settled in reluctantly for another long wait.

There was no further incident (unless you call Kellum's suddenly emerging screaming out of the barracks, wondering why no one woke him and told him to leave while Sully gave birth an incident) for the next few hours. At one point, some of the loyal party left their post to get food from the kitchen to replenish everyone's empty stomachs. Otherwise, no one wandered more than twenty feet from the barracks.

Around three o'clock that afternoon, Lissa stuck her blond head out of the barrack's door, the ridiculous grin on her face a huge contrast to her screaming of a few hours ago. "All done! Some of you guys can come in, now! Though Sully personally requested Kjelle, Chrom and Lucina to be the first visitors!"

The three heroes gladly complied, following the young sage inside. Set up in the barrack's main entrance room was a large, thick bedroll with an exhausted looking Sully laying on her back in the center. Lon'qu was kneeling down beside her, a bundle of blankets in each arm, looking thoroughly shaken by the events.

Sully greeted her visitors with a cocky grin. "Don't worry, I survived."

"We never doubted you." Chrom laughed cheerfully. "You've always been a fighter."

"Yeah, well look what surprise this warrior has." Sully weakly waved an arm at her husband.

"Two girls." Lon'qu said softly, lowering the bundles he held so tightly. One of the sleeping children had thick, straight brown hair, still slightly damp from when Emmeryn and Maribelle had cleaned her. She was larger than her sister and let off a glow of health.

The other girl was small and rougher looking, with thick tufts of crazy red hair. Even though she was visibly scowling, there was a fierce type of beauty in her pink face. She also looked incredibly hearty.

"Two?" Chrom looked down with surprise at the children.

"Twins..." Lon'qu explained grimly.

Lissa began to laugh hysterically. "You should have seen his face when he found out he had two girls! He turned paler than Sully!"

"Lissa," Emmeryn reprimanded firmly. Even so, a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Well, Kjelle. I guess this explains why I was so da- ah, fat." Sully was cut off by Chrom clearing his throat. "What, I can't even curse around my own newborns?"

"Things really can change." Lon'qu interrupted softly, a small, loving smile on his face as he looked at his grown daughter.

"But who knew so much?" Maribelle asked with some wariness. "You might wonder that such a thing could be a mere coincidence. For all we know, Owain may end up female in this world."

"Oh please don't let him hear you say that!" Lissa begged her friend. "Nine months of pregnancy are going to be torture enough without Owain crying over his gender!"

"We named them already." Sully said, looking up at her daughter. "Good thing they ain't identical, otherwise we may have named you the wrong one! The brown haired is of course Kjelle."

Kjelle said nothing, not even bothering to glance in her newborn self's direction. Lucina bent down to smile and brush the baby's head gently. "She's so pretty. I'm glad I may see everyone grow up in this time. I was still so young in my world."

"Now, this little trouble maker here," Sully carefully took the red head from Lon'qu. "Is-"

"Kyon." Kjelle breathed softly.

"What?" Everyone turned to look at the woman in surprise.

"Yes, but how did you know that?" Lon'qu asked.

"Kyon..." Kjelle repeated, her voice quavering and breaking with emotion. "Kyon, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She suddenly collapsed to her knees beside her mother, a hand holding desperately on the baby's blanket.

"Kjelle!" Lucina surprised everyone with the icy tone in her voice. "Get up! You promised yourself you wouldn't do this!"

"Kyon... Kyon!" She exclaimed between sobs.

Lucina looked so angry, it seemed as if she was going to slap Kjelle. Chrom took her firmly by the shoulders and forced her out of the barracks. Lissa and Maribelle stood in stunned silence, Emmeryn immediately rushing forward to calm the brown haired knight.

The Exalt wrapped her thin arms around her and brought her tightly into a hug. "Hush, hush.. No more crying..."

"How... How do you know Kyon?" Sully demanded, a strange combination of her usually harshness and fear creeping into her face.

"M-Mother..." Kjelle whimpered weakly.

"You tell me the truth! You already have said too much not to explain now!"

"I know... b-but..." Kjelle looked at the sleeping baby, more tears spilling from her eyes. "I wasn't going to do this... I thought it would be easy... but seeing her again... I'm so sorry..."

Sully felt this horribly powerful need to go over and comfort her daughter and tell her that she didn't have to say anything if it hurt her. But for one thing, she wasn't sure she could walk, yet. And for another, she knew this story was one, if not one she wanted to hear, Kjelle had to tell.

"It's alright. Now just tell us why you're crying."

"... Yes..." Kjelle took a deep breath and tried to dry her eyes. She snuggled closer into Emmeryn's protecting hug before plunging in. "In my world... you gave birth to twins, too. Kjelle, the older one and Kyon, the younger. Both were obviously your daughters, being strong, hot-tempered and beautiful. They fought constantly but were the closest sisters in the entire world, fiercely loyal to both each other and their loving parents to a fault. To a great fault.

"One day, when the twins were about eight years old, their parents took them on a picnic not far from the castle of Regna Ferox's West Khan. It was cloudy and miserable out, but the family made an effort to make it a memorable day. They brought with them their blunt training swords for practice and a large basket of lunch. Despite the weather, they really did have a lovely time. But... then...

"Mother and Father laid down and ended up falling asleep. Since we were bored and didn't think they would mind it, Kyon and I wandered off toward a stream we knew ran nearby. We walked for about ten minutes before we found it, but still didn't consider the dangerous amount of distance we had put between ourselves and our parents. We played around in the stream, catching frogs and collecting rocks and splashing each other with water. We were having such a good time, but then something strange happened.

"There was a sudden chill in the air. Now shivering, we stepped out of the water and looked around. There was a new sound of rustling and marching approaching us. Instead of turning and running like children with any sense would, we stayed to find out what it was.

"Risen." Everyone's eyes widened as Kjelle spoke the despised name. "But not ones like we usually faced in this time. I'm talking about those hulks that we battled in that graveyard, where Walhart joined us. In either case, we hadn't brought even our practice swords to defend ourselves and our hesitating to run had already given the horsemen time to spot us.

"'Kjelle, we have to go and wake Mother and Father!' Kyon had turned to me, her face pale and terrified. But I didn't answer her. I didn't move. I was completely paralyzed by fear. 'I don't want them to hurt me!' I had cowardly screeched. 'I don't want to fight them! I don't want to die!'

"'Kjelle, we have to run!' Kyon continually screamed at me, tears of frustration running down her cheeks. The calvary was almost upon us. Their lances gleamed maliciously in the grey light. 'We'll never make it...' I had mumbled miserably. 'They're kill us.'

"'Not unless they have a distraction.' Kyon whispered softly. With a last sob, she hugged me and pushed me over. 'Get Mother and Father! NOW!'

"'Kyon!' She ignored my call and simply stooped to pick up a large branch and charged at the monsters. I think I screamed, but I can't quite remember. Kyon's bravness shocked me back to life and I took off as fast as I could for Mother and Father. I hollered their names as loud as possible, but it was still a good five minutes before they came towards me, thankfully carrying their real weapons. They didn't even ask for an explanation of why I was crying or where Kyon was. They just ran, charged in the direction I had come in while I fell weeping on the grass.

"Eventually, I dragged myself back down to the stream, not at all surprised by what I found. The risen were completely dead, their purple ashes scattered everywhere in thick, horrifying hills. Father was standing beside Mother, who knelt on the ground beside a still, bloodied body.

"It was Kyon. Her dark eyes were dull and her skin completely white and cold. She was cut everywhere, but she had remained thankfully in one piece. Her curly red hair stuck to her forehead, held there by her own blood. The stick I had seen her pick up and brandish as a weapon lay beside her, completely destroyed.

"Since then... I have vowed vengeance on Grima and his Risen. I have tried to grow stronger and promised myself to never again hesitate or let fear stop me from protecting those I love. And I haven't broken it and I never will." Kjelle finished her story, her voice again breaking at the end.

A suffocating stillness filled the room. Lon'qu looked even paler than before and slightly fragile. Sully held her baby girl close to her chest, hugging her tightly as reluctant tears began to drip from her eyes.

"F-freakin'... hormones." She mumbled under her breath.

"Mother, when I came to the past I had never meant to burden you with these pains. I'm sorry I let myself crack under these conditions! I'm sorry I couldn't protect Kyon! I'm sorry I'm such a coward! I'm so sorry I-"

"You are no coward." A gentle whisper said beside her. Lon'que suddenly stood up and pulled her from Emmeryn into his own embrace. His voice was shaking, but did not break. "You are a hero worthy of a thousand ballads. You did nothing wrong, Kjelle. You don't have to carry this burden by yourself. We'll all protect each other, as a... family."

"Father..." Kjelle again began to weep, burying her face into Lon'qu's shoulder.

"I'll make sure these kids don't go anywhere without a sword in their hands." Sully said shakily. "They're gonna be able to kill any freak that dares to threaten them!"

"Would you... like to hold her?" Lissa asked, her eyes red from crying. She felt like an intruder in the room and looked for an excuse to politely leave. But Lon'qu had given her Kjelle to hold.

"Yes... thank you." The knight gently took the baby into her arms. The weight felt so right, so natural, that Kjelle wondered if all women felt the same way, or even better, when they held their own children. She gently rocked the baby back and forth.

"Hey, Lon'qu, quit weeping like a woman and hand her this kid." Sully demanded, soundly only like a shadow of her usual self. But it was enough to bring a smile to her husband's face. He took Kyon gently into his arms and held her for a moment. His eyes never left her sleeping face. "Hello? I said give her to KJELLE! You can build a cage for her later!"

The man sighed heavily, but handed his daughter over as instructed. For a while, Kjelle held both twins in her arms, smiling down at them with a dreamy look on her face.

_I won't let you two face the same sorrow as I did._ She promised them. She paused for a moment to consider her own words. _I must be getting sentimental... I sounded just like Lucina!_

••~••~••~••~••

"And that's that." Kjelle finished with another sigh.

"W-wow..." I sniffed loudly.

The woman turned on me with a sort of glare. "Are you actually crying? You must not even be able to remember my sister!"

"It's still a s-sad story."

"Sigh, that's the problem with you, Morgan. You're too soft." She opened her book again, seemingly done talking with me.

But I pursed the story further. "What ever happened with Lucina?"

"She and Chrom came back a little while after I finished up. Lucina was there when we buried Kyon and remembers the pain that Father and Mother went through that day. I had at one point told her that I promised to keep the future events a secret, something I obviously didn't do. She was just angry, not so much at me, but that she had to watch those she cared about go through that kind of pain again. Understandable, especially coming from her. Now can I finish my book, please?"

"Alright, sheesh!" I held up my hands in surrender.

"Sheesh!" Younger Morgan repeated with a laugh.

"Oh great..." Kjelle groaned.

"Kjelle!" Someone called down the hall. Two pairs of footsteps came running towards the nursery. "Kjelle!"

"In here!"

Two little girls poked their heads in from the door. They were sisters, as was obvious from their identical eyes and manorisms. But you wouldn't have been able to guess they were twins, except for their height and age. One girl was very slight with straight brown hair and a slight tan. The other had messy red hair, looking as if she hadn't even bothered to try and brush it and was sturdier looking, though also small and thin.

"What do you two want?" Kjelle asked with feigned annoyance.

"Can you please train with us?" The brown haired girl asked.

"I think I can finally kick your butt today!" The red head challenged with a cocky grin.

"Oh really? Well, we'll see about that." Kjelle put down her book, making both girls cheer. The three left the room hand in hand, the woman's eyes never straying from the red head who led her.

••~••~••~••~••

**Ending Note: Chapter one! Over and done! I actually won't be updating this (or anything else for that matter) until I take my school break this August. But I needed to post something to get the attention of my potential FE readers.**

**I plan on writing a Romeo and Juliet Awakening parody, but I can't decide which couple should play the lovers; Chrom and Female Robin or Male Robin and Lucina? I put up a poll on my profile and I would be EXTREMELY grateful if you could take the time to vote!**

**(: Thanks for reading! Please review! :) **


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